Bernie Ecclestone

[JimClarkFan]

Wiki is as usual your friend, the way I understand it, MrE is hired by CVC to run certain parts of the business.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CVC_Capital_Partners

Well this is an interesting twist. I had no idea that a private US equity company had bought the majority stake. No wonder F1 is being pushing into the emerging markets, and trying real hard to crack the US market...as well as pandering to put on a show.

If profit becomes the primary motive, rather than the love for racing, then I can see changes to the sport that will be to line peoples pockets rather than good racing - not that we need confirmation of this. Not good at all, this worries me.

[bhall]

Well this is an interesting twist. I had no idea that a private US equity company had bought the majority stake. No wonder F1 is being pushing into the emerging markets, and trying real hard to crack the US market...as well as pandering to put on a show.

If profit becomes the primary motive, rather than the love for racing, then I can see changes to the sport that will be to line peoples pockets rather than good racing - not that we need confirmation of this. Not good at all, this worries me.

I hate to burst your stereotyped bubble, but the Jersey in which Delta Topco is based is not New Jersey; it's just Jersey. Or old Jersey, if you like. Even then, it's still mostly owned by CVC Capital Partners based in London.

These shell games have absolutely nothing to do with F1's direction anyway. It's just the paper trail.

And for what it's worth, profit has been the primary motive behind F1 for a very, very long time now. No one goes to Bahrain or Shanghai for the view.

[xpensive]

Those commercial rights, like a billion USD annually for 99 years, was basically handed over by MrM for a plate of beans.

[mx_tifoso]

"Plate of beans", you say? Surely you haven't used that phrase an infinite amount of times by now X?

...
And for what it's worth, profit has been the primary motive behind F1 for a very, very long time now. No one goes to Bahrain or Shanghai for the view.

Or for the racing [heritage].

But Bernie has put F1 at the top of the motorsport food chain, so let's hope that it can maintain this position while improving the actual racing itself through technical innovation. Even if has to happen beyond 2014.

[xpensive]

"Plate of beans", you say? Surely you haven't used that phrase an infinite amount of times by now X?
...

I learned it from a mexican friend at the police academy a long time ago, thought it was pretty telling, don't you agree?

[mx_tifoso]

Not quite, but using that phrase to this extent for what seemingly appeared to be a simple deal is over the top.

And I don't know whether to be happy or uneasy about Ecclestone's retirement from the F1 scene. Who are the most plausible replacement candidates?

[bhall]

[...] Bernie has put F1 at the top of the motorsport food chain [...]

I think F1 finds itself at the top of the motorsport food chain because drivers like Fangio, Clark, Stewart, Fittipaldi, Andretti, Senna, Prost, Schumacher, et al. and constructors like Ferrari, Lotus, McLaren, Williams, et al. have raced all over the world to garner its attention. Ecclestone just made sure F1 garnered a ----ton of money along the way.

EDIT: Ecclestone's replacement is Peter Brabeck.

[xpensive]

Selling off the rights for 99 years to a billion dollar business for 300 million, that's a pretty relative to a plate of beans in my book, but I guess that depends on how big a plate you have and what sort of chili is added.

But anyway, a plate of beans can also be a delight, at least in certain parts of the world, such as around the Trafalgar square, though I imagine they consume their beans from chinaware?

[mx_tifoso]

Right, I forgot about that Nestle devil. Thank you for the reminder.

And I agree that the history of this series has been great, but there have been others that have rivaled it. But F1 has somehow managed to keep itself afloat at the top despite offering shitty racing and technology for the better part of 20 years now. We certainly aren't here because the racing is top notch, nor could we say the same for why circuits all over the world pay to have F1 visit them.

[xpensive]

Utter nonsense I'm afraid, when MrE first entered F1 in 1970 there was nothing rivaling the series xposure world-wide,
the only racing remotely close was the USAC and CanAm, but that was North American, US and Canada that is, only.

[bhall]

Who or what has challenged F1's supremacy, though? (Genuine question)

I think Pup made an excellent point about Group C being surreptitiously killed off because of the challenge it might have eventually posed to F1. Even Ferrari had built a car to race in Group C.

I'm interested to see what happens with sports car racing now that the ACO has drawn up some of the most logical and well thought out regulations motorsport has seen in years. Might Ecclestone then be tempted to see them wiped off the map, too?

[xpensive]

...
I think Pup made an excellent point about Group C being surreptitiously killed off because of the challenge it might have eventually posed to F1. Even Ferrari had built a car to race in Group C.
...

Ferrari was considering leaving F1 at the time, even building a car for CART to prove they were serious, and Group C was gaining momentum with Peugeot, Mercedes, Jaguar and even Aston Martin, could have been something to behold.

[mx_tifoso]

Ferrari should dip a foot or two into the LMP1 water to tease the motorsport world, that would be a sight to behold as well.

[Red Schneider]

Slightly off-topic, but has Ferrari made any further noises about Le Mans? I remember di Montezemolo talking about it around 2009.

[bhall]

Wasn't that right about the time of the FOTA breakaway threat? If so, I imagine Montezemolo's comments amounted to little more than sabre rattling.